Operation: Parenthood
by Ammie Hawk
Summary: Sequel to Duo Maxwell: Operation: Santa Claus. The G-boys take on a new mission: raising children. Post Endless Waltz. AU Naruto-verse, and semi-AU HP verse.
1. Chapter 1

Operation: Parenthood

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own Gundam Wing, Naruto, or Harry Potter, no matter how much I wish that I did.

Summary: Sequel to Duo Maxwell: Operation: Santa Claus. The G-boys take on a new mission: raising children. Post Endless Waltz. AU Naruto-verse, and semi-AU HP verse.

AN: Okay, I didn't get a single objection to making this a story, so here goes. I decided to add one HP character at the moment, I don't know yet whether or not more will come into play later, but I don't see it. Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoy.

Chapter 1: Santa Can Fix It!

It was two days after Christmas and Duo Maxwell was out once again in the freezing cold that persisted in Sanq. This time, however, he wasn't going shopping, he was contemplating. One of his good friends, and fellow Gundam pilot, had just gotten engaged.

It had been quite shocking when Wufei Chang, the former Shenlong pilot, had gotten down on one knee on Christmas day in front of his boyfriend of the past six months, Duo's own twin brother Harry Potter. They had found out that little tidbit just after the Mariemaya uprising, with the establishment of the Family Reconstruction Act.

What was most disturbing about this turn of events, however, wasn't so much that it was his brother, but the fact that he still didn't have a ring on his own finger. He and his boyfriend, Heero Yuy, had been together for over a year now and Heero still hadn't popped the question. Even Trowa, the silent one of the group, had asked his boyfriend, Quatre, to marry him.

Was it just him? Maybe Heero didn't know Duo was waiting for him to ask. Perhaps Heero wanted to be the one asked instead. But that didn't make any sense, the Perfect Soldier was very much the man in their relationship. He shook his head, if, by their anniversary, Heero hadn't asked, Duo would.

He turned a corner and entered a rather rundown neighborhood, trying to shake off his depressing thoughts. He paused when he heard children laughing down the street. It brought a soft smile to his face. That's what he'd fought for after all, the future generations. He continued on for a bit, finally stopping next to a chain link fence surrounding an old playground and building. He rested his arm on the metal and watched the rugrats play on the dilapidated equipment for a few moments.

He finally shook his head, it was time to be heading back to the house. Quatre would probably yell at him anyway, for being out in the cold this long. He turned away from the twisted metal and began walking back the way he'd come. He hadn't gotten more than five steps when a cry had him stopping in his tracks.

"SANTA!"

He'd just managed to turn back around when he found himself sat hard on the pavement, an unexpected weight pinning his legs in place. He stared down in dazed disbelief at the orange and grey wrapped bundles in surprise, not quite sure what he was seeing.

"See, Kiba, I told ya he'd come," the orange bundle said smugly.

"Yeah, yeah, so you were right for once," the grey bundle shoved the orange one slightly.

It was as he caught a flash of white inside the grey that Duo finally realized just what he was looking at. These were two of the chibis he'd played Santa for on Christmas Eve. He looked up from the two boys in his lap and spotted the other three members of the little gang. He gave a lopsided grin to the three standing boys before readjusting the two on his lap so he wasn't so uncomfortable.

"Santa?" the blonde looked up at him with pleasing blue eyes. "You can make good things happen, even if it's not Christmas anymore, right?"

"I can try, kiddo," the braided teen frowned, what could be wrong with these little chibis? "What seems to be the problem?"

"You gotta come see Ruka-sensei," Naruto jumped up and grabbed Duo's hand. "N tell him you'll make everythin' better."

The little blonde began pulling on his arm, but since there was still a kid in his lap he didn't get very far. The shaggy haired brunette, however, quickly realized what his friend was doing and scrambled off the former pilot and took his other hand. Together the two boys began pulling him toward the break in the fence denoting the entrance and the building beyond.

Duo followed, not sure what else to do at the moment. He wasn't entirely sure he would be able to help them with their problem but he'd do what he could. Of course it would always help if he knew what the problem was to begin with.

They entered the front doors of the Konoha Street Orphanage with the other three boys trailing behind them. Naruto and Kiba continued dragging the braided teen down a series of hallways until they finally came to a stop outside an office labeled 'Manager'. The little blonde proceeded to knock before just pushing the door open.

"Hello, Naruto," a gentle voice said as the door started to open.

"Hi, Ruka," the blonde beamed as he rounded the door, still pulling Duo along for the ride. "I found slution for probem."

"I don't have time right now, Naruto," the man behind the desk sighed, flipping through a small stack of folders. "I have to fill out the paperwork so the others will be taken care of."

Duo took this time to study the man carefully. He had rather long brown hair, he'd say shoulder length at least, when it wasn't pulled into that high ponytail he sported at the moment. He had kind brown eyes and, if the little lines around them were any indication, an easy smile. The former pilot had to admit that the man wasn't bad looking, even if he did have a long dark scar that crossed the bridge of his nose and extended onto either cheek. He quickly shook that thought away, he was happy with his boyfriend, thank you very much.

"But Santa'll fix it," the chibi insisted, stepping closer to the desk and pulling Duo forward. "See, he came. Jus like Gaara an' I said."

"Naruto, what are you…" the man finally looked up and his eyes widened in surprise as they laned on the former Gundam pilot and he quickly pushed to his feet. "Oh dear god, please forgive him, sir. I'm Iruka Umino, manager of this establishment. I'm terribly sorry if he disturbed you in any way. The five of them are convinced that you are Santa Claus, and that you can fix anything."

"Well," the teen scratched his neck nervously, "honestly, I don't know what's going on. I was just walking down the street when they knocked me down. But…"

"Boys!" Iruka cut him off, glaring at the five guilty looking chibis, the other four having entered behind Duo. "That was very inappropriate. Apologize immediately."

"It's fine, Iruka. I can call you Iruka, right?" Duo said, moving to the chair in front of the manager's desk. "Let me level with ya. Ya see, I don't know what's going on, but I do know that I'd like to help in any way I can. These boys made my Christmas that much more special, and I'd like to do something for them if I could."

"You've already done more than enough, sir," Iruka sighed, taking his seat once more.

"It's Duo, Duo Maxwell," the former Deathscythe pilot extended his hand for the man to shake. "None of that sir stuff, makes me think I'm turning respectable."

"It's a pleasure, Duo," the scarred man shook his head. "I'm afraid, however, that there's very little that can be done for our current situation."

"Hey, Naruto," the braided teen leaned over so he was staring directly into those bright blue eyes, "why don't you and your friends go outside and play, you're all dressed up for it after all." He tweaked the little nose. "I'll come out and see ya when I finish up in here, kay?"

"Alright, Santa," the blonde beamed and ran over to the little raven haired boy, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the office. "Come on, guys! Santa's gonna help Ruka fix it."

"Now," Duo leaned back in his chair when he couldn't hear the chibis anymore, "Iruka, I don't know what the problem is. So why don't you tell me that before assuming there's nothing I can do about it."

Iruka sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "The orphanage is closing. The whole block has recently been condemned, and it's getting torn down shortly after the new year, to make way for a youth recreation center. Now, we would seek other premises and proper funding, but yesterday, we had an adoption day, sponsored by the Preventers and all but three of our orphans were adopted out. If they haven't left for their new homes yet, then they'll be picked up within the next few days. The three remaining are being transferred out to other orphanages around the city. None of them have room to take all three of them so they are being split up."

"Ouch," the braided teen grimaced. "That's gotta suck. So why weren't they adopted, is there something wrong with the three?"

"No, not particularly," the manager shook his head. "They're just difficult cases. They have special needs that turn away perspective parents. Gaara, the little redhead outside, has had a difficult life before we took him in about six months ago and he still has trouble sleeping because of it. Kiba, the one with the red arrow tattoos, is the perfect example of ADHD and most parents don't want to have to deal with the complications that come with that. And then there's Shika, or Shikamaru, the one with the ponytail, he puts no effort into almost anything and he gets overlooked by most couples."

"What about Naruto and the raven, Suki I think his name was?" Duo frowned.

"Oh, Sasuke and Naruto," the dark haired man shook his head. "Well, Sasuke was actually adopted by the owner of the orphanage, Kakashi Hatake, the same week he was brought in. Kakashi was a friend of his family's before they passed. As for Naruto, I've been in the process of adopting him for years. It finally went through yesterday."

"So you need someone to adopt the other three of them?" the former Deathscythe pilot scratched his chin in thought.

"That would be the ideal situation, yes," Iruka sighed. "However, finding them someone in the amount of time we have is next to impossible."

"Nothing's impossible for Shinigami," Duo smirked. "Don't fill out their transfer papers just yet. Let me go talk to Une, she's a good friend of mine, and see if I can't pull a few strings and get those boys adopted."

"You would do that for them?" brown eyes narrowed in confusion. "Why?"

"Cause that's what I do," he beamed. "I fight for the underprivileged and abused. Make sure innocents don't have to suffer for the misdeeds of others. And that kids, especially, don't get swept aside by the government."

"Thank you, Duo," Iruka covered his mouth, tears pooling on his lashes. "You don't know how much this will mean to those little boys."

"Oh, trust me on that one, I do," Duo shook his head. "I'm just here to carry on Father Maxwell's work. Hopefully, his death won't be in vain."

"Father Maxwell?" the orphanage worked frowned slightly.

"Nothing, forget about it," the former pilot waved him off. "Now, if I'm not back before the day's out, or you don't hear from Une within the next forty-eight hours, then you can sign those transfer papers, but please wait till the time runs out."

"I will hold off as long as I can," Iruka promised, a relieved smile crossing his face. "Those boys were right about you, you are an amazing person."

"I try," he laughed.

With that being said, he pushed to his feet, extending his hand once more. Iruka mimicked him and accepted his hand with a smile. Then Duo turned and left the office, heading back the way he'd come. He had some chibis to see before he made an appointment with Lady Anne Une.

When he arrived outside, he shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun off the snow. However, Kiba was the first one to spot his black clad figure emerging from the building. With a shout the boy ran over, the other four following in his wake, some more sedately than others. Duo beamed at them, he couldn't see how anyone couldn't want these adorable little kids.

He spent the next fifteen minutes playing a game with the chibis. When it was over, they were all laying in the snow laughing, even the icy Sasuke. After he caught his breath, the former Deathscythe pilot pushed to his feet and dusted the snow off his coat and pants.

"Well, I gotta go now," he looked around at the five of them.

"Noooo!" Kiba and Naruto said together, latching on to either or his legs.

He laughed, "Don't worry, I'll come back and see you."

"Promise?" five little voices sounded in unison.

"Hey, I'm Duo Maxwell," he said confidently. "I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie."

"I thought you were Santa," Gaara frowned, and the former pilot barely repressed a shudder at how intimidating that little chibi could look.

"I am," he tapped the side of his nose, "but only for Christmas. The rest of the year, I'm Duo."

"Oh, okay," the redhead nodded, accepting his explanation.

"Now, I really do have to go, my friends are waiting on me, and I have a very important meeting with someone," he pried the two boys off his legs.

"Bye Duo!" the chibis waved as he headed out of the fence.

He turned, with a wide smile across his face, and waved before he was too far away for them to see. Once he rounded the corner, however, his smile faded into a severe scowl and he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He hadn't lied, he has some very important meetings to attend to.

* * *

Ammie: Okay, I hope it doesn't suck, it didn't want to work for me for most of the day. Anyway I hope ya'll enjoy the fifth day of Christmas Present that I have for ya.


	2. Chapter 2

Operation: Parenthood

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Not mine.

AN: Okay, I know it's kinda late, but this is my seventh day of Christmas present to all ya'll. Hope ya enjoy.

Chapter 2: Fixin' the Problem

Duo made his way up the front walk of a large manor house belonging to one Quatre Rebarba Winner. The house happened to be the current residence of all five former Gundam pilots and one Harry Potter. The five of them hadn't wanted to be separated after the wars and had decided that they would live in one of the former Sandrock pilot's places, since he had so many and there would be enough room for all of them to live comfortably.

Once he got inside the front door, he sprinted up the stairs, hoping to catch the Winner heir in his study. He'd called Une on his way home and had arranged a meeting with her, but he hoped the blonde would be able to come with him and help convince her that his idea was a good one. He raced up three flights of stairs and then banged loudly on Quatre's office door.

"Enter," came a rather worried call from inside.

"Quat, I need your help," the braided teen announced, flinging the portal open.

"Well, have a seat and we'll figure something out," the small Arabian motioned to a chair in front of his desk.

"No time," Duo went over and grabbed the blonde's wrist, pulling him to his feet. "I'll explain on the way."

It was all Quatre could do to keep up with the former Deathscythe pilot. He figured something bad must have happened with one of the others, it was the only logical thing he could imagine that would cause the other teen to act this way. However, his thoughts were blown out of the water as he was pulled out of the house and into one of the many cars they owned.

"Duo!" the blonde shook his head as he was forced into the passenger seat and buckled in.

The former street rat ignored him as he rounded the car, sliding across the hood in his haste, and climbed into the driver's seat. He started the engine and buckled his seatbelt in one fluid movement. It wasn't until he pulled out of the long drive that he deemed it appropriate to finally speak with his passenger.

"We've gotta do something, Quat," he shook his head. "I've already called Une and she said she'd meet with me, but you've gotta convince her to do something."

"About what, Duo?" the former Sandrock pilot shook his head, "I have no clue what you're talking about."

With a long suffering sigh, the braided teen filled the other in on what was going on at the Konoha Street Orphanage. When he was through the blonde looked about ready to go ZERO, and Duo knew he'd picked the right partner for his self imposed mission.

"So these three boys need to be adopted?" the shrewd teal eyes narrowed in thought. "And you're hoping Une will supply the perfect parents for them?"

"That's the plan," the former Deathscythe pilot nodded.

"Mission accepted," the blonde nodded once.

It took fifteen more minutes to arrive at the Preventers Headquarters. They both stalked through the double doors and made their way to the elevator, their minds completely on the mission. Duo flashed his Preventer's badge at the security guard who tried to stop them once and they then continued on unimpeded. When they finally reached Une's office, they entered without bothering to knock, they were there for an important reason after all.

Anne Une looked up from the files on her desk as her door banged open, her hand automatically reaching for the gun strapped to the underside of her desk within easy reach. She scowled, however, when she recognized the two figures as two of the former Gundam pilots, one of which was now one of her top agents.

"Agent Scythe, Mr. Winner," she nodded in greeting. "Was there something I could do for you?"

"I called in," Duo smirked, flopping gracefully onto one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"So you did," she acknowledged. "Now, are you going to explain why I had to cancel a very important meeting with the Vice Foreign Minister just to be able to speak with you?"

"Yeah, we got a problem," the former Deathscythe pilot frowned, but stopped as the small blonde put his hand on his arm.

"Lady Une," he said kindly, though his eyes were hard as stone, "it would seem that there is a problem at the Konoha Street Orphanage."

She frowned slightly as she sifted through the papers and files on her desk, finally pulling out a rather thick file, "Ah, yes, the condemned orphanage building," she nodded. "I did what I could for them. I screened many couples and had all the orphans adopted just yesterday."

"Not all of them, apparently," the blonde shook his head slightly. "It has come to our attention that three little boys were not adopted, and are being sent out to other orphanages throughout the city. We find this unacceptable."

"What do you propose I do about it?" she asked, lacing her fingers in front of her on the desk, knowing exactly what three cases he was talking about. Those certain cases were deemed difficult, and she hadn't found a couple capable or willing to take them on. "I have no more couples in the area who can take on any more children. Especially, those three cases."

"We'll do it," Quatre said firmly, causing both other occupants of the room to stare at him in disbelief.

Lady Une scowled darkly at the suggestion. Surely he couldn't be thinking that he and Duo could take on the responsibility for three little boys all by themselves, they were practically still children themselves. True, both of them had good paying jobs, and were more than capable of supporting three children but what about their lives, their hopes and dreams, they couldn't be willing to give them all up for three complete strangers.

"You already know our background," the blonde continued, "we are both in serious relationships, have steady jobs, and are more than capable of supporting three little boys."

She did have to concede his point. Given their backgrounds, it shouldn't have surprised her that these two boys were willing to give up their time, money, and energy into raising three little orphan boys. However, given the three cases presented and the problems and difficulties that would arise from them, she had to put her foot down, at least a bit.

"I don't see much of a problem with your suggestion," a frown marred her stern countenance. "However, given your ages and the specific cases, I cannot in good conscious allow you to adopt more than one apiece. If you can find another candidate for the third orphan I will file the paperwork myself before the day is out."

"Harry," Duo sat up straight in his chair, his eyes going wide. "Harry and Wuffers could adopt the third one. I'll call him. I'm sure he'll agree once he hears what's going on."

"Very well," she motioned to the phone on her desk, grateful for the pilots' idea, even if it was a bit unprecedented. "The sooner you get this taken care of, the sooner those boys will be in your custody."

The braided teen jumped to his feet and quickly dialed the number for his brother's cell. He explained the situation and within five minutes he was beaming down at the phone as he replaced the receiver on the cradle.

"He'll meet us at the orphanage in fifteen minutes," he shook his head, this was above and beyond what he'd expected. "So you want to come with us, Une, or should we just bring in the paperwork once it's completed?"

"I, unlike you, have work to attend to today," she shook her head, a smile pulling at the edges of her mouth, as she handed him three folders. "However, I want your significant others to sign as well, so I will give you till tomorrow to bring in the paperwork. As it stands, though, I see no problem with you taking the boys home with you tonight, let them have the chance to get to know you and your makeshift family."

"Great, you're the best, Une baby," Duo beamed as he took them, then turned and made his way to the door, Quatre hot on his heels.

The pair of them headed back out to the car and were quickly back on the road. Duo took them straight to the orphanage by the shortest route he knew. There was little talking between them as they drove, Duo too happy for words, for once, and Quatre contemplating what he was going to tell Trowa when he brought home a little boy that night that would become their son.

They pulled up outside the chain link fence just as a motorcycle pulled in. They nodded at the other teen as he took off his helmet, revealing a head of tussled black hair and bright green eyes.

"So, Duo," Harry said, falling into step with the other two, "let me make sure I understand this correctly. There are three orphans in here that no one seems to want? And you two asked Lady Une, and she said we could adopt one apiece?"

"That's basically it," Duo beamed. "Now lets go tell the kiddies. They'll be so excited."

"How is it that you know them?" Quatre asked, giving the braided teen a curious look.

"It's kinda an interesting story actually," the former Deathscythe pilot scratched his neck nervously. "I met them on Christmas Eve, at the mall. I bought them some presents. They kinda think I'm Santa Claus."

"That was really nice of you, Duo," his brother gave him a bright smile. "I'm glad you took the time to do that. I wish I could've been there. So what are their names, anyway?"

"Well, the three up for adoption are Kiba, Gaara, and Shikamaru," Duo shrugged. "According to Iruka, the manager of this place, they're special cases, that's why they weren't adopted."

They had reached the door to the building, and Duo held it open for the other two. He then proceeded to lead them down the hall, retracing his route from earlier. Once they reached the office, he rapped three times on the door. A voice Duo could tell wasn't the manager's bade them entrance and they walked in.

"Hello, may I help you?" a tall, silver haired man looked up, a patch covering his left eye.

"Uh, yeah," Duo gave a hesitant smile, "I'm Duo Maxwell, I talked with Iruka earlier about the three orphans still residing here."

"He mentioned you," he nodded. "I'm Kakashi Hatake, by the way, owner of this fine establishment."

"He mentioned you," Duo beamed, taking the seat across from the man. "Anyway, did he mention the deal I made with him earlier?"

"He did," Kakashi said evenly, weighing his words carefully. "I do have to say, I'm quite surprised by your interest in our boys, Mr. Maxwell."

"It's Duo," the braided teen chuckled slightly. "The made quite an impression on me. Anyway, I talked to Lady Une and we found a solution to your problem."

"Oh?" a silver brow rose over his right eye. "And what solution did you come up with?"

"We're gonna adopt them," he beamed, indicating Harry and Quatre as well, who were standing behind him. "She gave us permission and we have the paperwork here."

He pulled out the folders Une had given him and slid them across the desk to the man. He opened the top one and read over the contents quickly. He nodded when he reached the bottom and then turned his gaze back to the three teens.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to raise them properly?" he asked, propping his elbows on the desk and lacing his fingers together. "Iruka told me he explained their circumstances to you. Given your background, it does make one wonder."

"Background, sir?" Quatre's brow rose in surprise.

"Well, I'm assuming that since you are both associated with Duo here," one grey eye met and held the blonde's gaze, "that you are both also former Gundam pilots."

"I wasn't," Harry shrugged, deciding to answer since the others were staring at the man in surprise. "But that doesn't change anything. Lady Une has given us permission to adopt the three boys, that should be enough for you."

"I'm not saying you can't," he held up his hands placatingly. "I'm just wondering if your former status will impede the boys' upbringing."

"Listen, Mr. Hatake," green eyes narrowed slightly, "I can vouch for all five of the pilots. I have lived with them all for over a year now and they are hard working and dedicated to keeping the peace they fought so hard to bring about. Duo, himself, is a Preventer agent. I can assure you, those boys couldn't be placed in more capable hands."

"Very well," Kakashi nodded, impressed with the three young men before him. "I'll call Iruka in and we can sort out the details."

"Thank you, sir," Harry smiled. "Would it be possible for us to meet the boys and discuss this with them before we finalize anything?"

"I'll have Iruka bring them in with him," the silver haired man smiled, hitting a button on the desk in front of him. "Iruka," he said into the intercom, "could you bring Gaara, Kiba, and Shika to the office please?"

He then turned back to the three teens before him, "He'll be just a moment. Did you have an idea about which one each of you wanted?"

"Not really," Duo shook his head, finally finding his voice again. "We just knew we had to do this, so here we are."

"I understand," he smiled slightly. "Iruka and I will give you three a few minutes alone with the boys so you can decide."

Immediately following his statement, there was a light knock on the door before it slowly inched open. Iruka popped his head in, intent on asking Kakashi why he'd called him, when his brown eyes landed on the braided figure in the chair.

"Duo!" he exclaimed before he could stop himself. "I wasn't expecting you back this soon."

"I said I'd be here," the Preventer agent smirked. "Iruka, this is my friend, Quatre Winner, and my brother, Harry Potter. Guys, this is Iruka Umino."

"It's a pleasure, sir," the blonde extended his hand.

"DUO!" a loud shout sounded behind Iruka and a brown bundle of energy bounced into the room and straight for the braided teen. "You came back!"

"Course I did," he beamed at the chibi, "I said I would. And what did I say? I never tell a lie."

"Look Shika, Gaara, he's back!" Kiba bounced back over to the door and began pulling two other boys into the room.

"So we heard," the other brunette sighed. "You're so troublesome."

"Boys," Kakashi said, his voice causing all three to straighten up immediately, "Iruka and I need to have a private word in my office. Why don't you keep our guests company?"

"Yes, sir," the chorused in unison and the two former pilots half expected them to salute the silver haired man.

The two orphanage workers left the room, the brunette looking at the owner in confusion, and the six people in the room began studying each other intently. Quatre smiled at each of the boys in turn, but his hand gripped the fabric of his shirt over his heart as he locked eyes with pale jade. So much pain coming from such a small little boy, it was driving his Space Heart crazy. Harry was watching the boys, just waiting to see what they'd do, he knew kids had a knack for spotting what was going on, even if they were young.

"So," Duo finally broke the silence, "boys, this is my friend, Quatre, and my baby brother, Harry."

"Hiya," Kiba beamed, showing off slightly elongated eye teeth. "I'm Kiba. This is Gaara," he pointed to the redhead. "And Shikamaru," he indicated the other brunette. "It's nice at meet ya."

"Oh, Duo," the small Arabian gasped, tears pooling on his lashes.

"Listen boys," the braided teen cut off his friend, not sure what was going on with the empath. "How'd you like to come home with us?"

"Ya mean it?" Kiba's brown eyes widened dramatically. "You wanna take us home with ya?"

"Well, if ya want to," amethyst eyes sparkled mischievously.

"YAY!" the shaggy haired brunette punched the air excitedly. "See guys, I told ya Santa could fix it! He wants at take us home with him!"

"No, Naruto did," Shikamaru smacked him upside the head. "And we heard him, baka."

"Well then, let's call Iruka and Kakashi back in here," Duo smiled, knowing which one he wanted. "And then we'll take ya home."

* * *

Ammie: Okay there ya go. It's really late, and I'm about to fall asleep, but I hope ya'll like it.


End file.
